I Watched Michael Cera Interview David Cross And It Was Just As Awesome As It Sounds

A couple weeks ago, I saw that David Cross was participating in a “Talk” at the 92nd Street YMCA and I thought about buying a ticket. Then I saw that it was being moderated by Michael Cera and realized that thinking about going was no longer an option, I bought a ticket immediately. This Wednesday night I dressed myself over my denim never-nude shorts I got the amazing opportunity to see the interview in person!

To start the night, “one time Teen Choice Award nominee” Michael Cera came out saying — in his Michael Cera way (you know what I mean) — that he “didn’t even know why he was in the same category as Taylor Lautner” and then quickly went on to bring out the main event. David Cross entered the stage with a bottle of red wine in hand that was clearly approved of by the audience.

Cera started the conversation by asking like a typical talk show host, “So, I’ll just get to what everyone wants to know, is there going to be an Arrested Developmentmovie?” Of course they’re both just as likely to know the answer, but Cross still replied by talking around it in an I Can’t Say sort of way. I thought the answer leaned positive, while my boyfriend thought he was basically saying there won’t be a movie. So I say, keep your hope, Arrested Development fans.

Cross told Cera that his interview classes obviously paid off and then played an old clip from Carson Daly. Cross was being interviewed, but brought Michael Cera and Alia Shawkat along with him as his trainees in the art of interviewing. After the clip was over, Cera and Cross joked that the whole thing was all just leading up to this moment at the 92Y. The longest set up to a punchline ever.

I assumed there would be loads of Arrested Development talk since they both star on the show, but other than that first question, it was hardly mentioned and, surprisingly, I didn’t miss it at all. Instead Cross talked about his childhood, his start as a comedian, politics, and his beefs with Larry the Cable Guy and Jim Belushi. He also talked a lot about Mr. Show, which I’ve never seen, but now I really want to. Especially after he mentioned one sketch called “Prenatal Pageant” about the next logical but ridiculous step after things like Toddlers and Tiaras.

One part that stood out to me in particular, and that I honestly found inspirational, was when Cross said that for the entirety of his 20s he wasn’t a very driven person. He wasn’t one of those people where the whole point of life is to make it big and get fame or money. He was just doing stand-up because it was fun for him. He worked a crappy day job and didn’t have much money, but was always able to look forward to nights doing comedy and hanging out with his buddies. Everything else would work it self out. (And as we know now, it did!)

Upcoming for Cross this year is, of course, the new season of Arrested Developmentwhich premieres on Netflix this May as well as two new movies, It’s A Disasterand Kill Your Darlings. He’s also releasing a book in September with scripts of never made Mr. Show sketches and will start doing a little stand-up touring again.

Seeing someone interviewed by one of their peers was way more exciting than seeing someone interviewed by a professional interviewer. Cross and Cera obviously know each other pretty well, so they had a great rapport and that was a big part of what made watching this so funny. It’s sort of strange to think that myself and a couple hundred people just watched two guys talk to each other on a stage for over an hour, but it wasn’t anywhere near as awkward as that sounds.

These guys are both so down to earth and relatable in a way that I think people rarely think of actors. For instance, they both agreed and were open about how bad their movie Year One ended up. At the end you don’t want to go home, you just want to go wherever they go so you can keep listening to their awesome conversation.